{% include "includes/auth/janrain/signIn_traditional.html" with message='It looks like you are already verified. If you still have trouble signing in, you probably need a new confirmation link email.' %}

Palm Beach County school bus driver fired after 5 crashes in 1 year

A Palm Beach County school bus driver has been fired after officials said he was involved in five bus crashes in less than a year.

The county school board voted today to fire driver Craig Freeman, 59. He will have an opportunity to appeal the termination.

In a termination letter, school district officials say that Freeman was involved in five bus crashes, the most recent one on June 1.

The letter does not give details about the crashes or whether anyone was injured. A school district spokeswoman said she did not have further information about the incidents.

After the various crashes, Freeman’s total “driver safety points” exceeded the maximum permitted within a 3-year period under school district rules, prompting his termination. Records show he was hired by the school district in September 2015.

In an interview, Freeman characterized the spate of crashes as an unlucky run. He said only one of the accidents was his fault, and that some were “minor stuff” in which his bus’s side-view mirror was struck during turns.

“I’ve been driving buses since the ’70s,” he said, “and basically I just had some bad luck and that’s what it boiled down to.”